


Gilded Chains For A Gilded Cage

by Clarybell90



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Assassination Attempt(s), Assassination Plot(s), Assassins, Attempted Seduction, Broken Bones, Chains, Death, Destruction, Don't Judge Me, Dragons, Evil Queen - Freeform, F/F, Fae & Fairies, Faeries - Freeform, False Chosen One, Fear, Fire, Genocide, Helplessness, High Fantasy, Honestly things just don't go well, Horses, Hurt No Comfort, I'm an awful mama to my children, Kidnapping, Magic, Medieval-ish, Minor Character Death, Monarch - Freeform, Murder, No one should let me write anything, Obsession, One Shot, Pain, Possessive Behavior, Power Dynamics, Rebellion, Serious Injuries, Swords, This is from a dream, Tyrannical Ruler, War, did I mention death?, fae, minor torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 19:28:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17432117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clarybell90/pseuds/Clarybell90
Summary: Fingers smoother than, and as cold as, ice tug my face up by the chin. The Queen smiles at me, pressing her other hand into my chest. Lightning punches straight through my brain, vision cutting out into white light. Yet through it all, I can hear a laugh. Her laugh."Hello, little assassin. You made it quite far, didn't you?" The Queen purrs.





	Gilded Chains For A Gilded Cage

**Author's Note:**

> So this will likely be a bit disturbing. Just warning you now. Please enjoy.

Even from this high up, I can feel the heated breath of the beasts. The deep seeded flame that always flickers in their bellies only causes the temperature to rise as more make their way into the throne room. Four of them. Four giant dragons that could eat me in one bite.

I take a deep breath, and carefully pull an arrow out of my quiver. All of them are tipped with iron, which in turn was dipped into the juice of a rowan berry. The most deadly thing a human could make for a fae. If it landed, that is. I only have one shot for this. One shot for the fate of the world. The irony of it isn't lost on me. How many times now have the faeries tried to kill all my people? Too many to count.

The rustling of scales and clicking of claws on stone mask the scraping noise my shoes make as I shift positions. Cleats sit at the bottom of my shoe, anchors for climbing walls with small cracks. Not ideal for stealth, but I didn't have room in my bag for a change of footwear. Nor did I have the time. If I make it, I won't need to run anyways.

I have to make this shot.

The slow opening doors are my cue. Silently, hardly daring to breathe, I notch the arrow into my bow. The tightness is enough for my muscles to strain, begging me to loose the arrow. I remain still. The dragons have to move, just a little, before I have a clear view. Then I can attack. Then I can put this all behind me.

The Queen walks to her throne.

Even from here I can see the way her hair glows silver in the light. Her flaw. The one thing that points her out as different from us. At least, the one thing visible through her glamour. All of them had a flaw. Something that points them out as the monster they really are beneath the act. Under all the pretending. None of them are human. They're nowhere close to human.

Her 'pets' curroo at her as the Queen passes by them. She pauses to touch each of their noses, to murmur something to each of them. The rumblings the beasts give in response shake the entire room. It takes effort to not fall from my perch. My cleats scratch along stone. I pray to the gods that the monster can't hear them.

Finally she sits in her throne. Several more moments of shifting scales later, and I can see the Queen's head. Her chest. The shot is clear. I take it.

The arrow bounces off the tail of a dragon, whipped up just to save the Queen. They know.

Heart leaping in my chest, I scramble back for the crevice which I came through. My shoes scrape along the stone, catching on every nook and cranny they fall into. I'm not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough.

Something snags on the grey cape that had previously hid me. In an instant I'm dragged out into open air, dangling by my hood. Tugging at the string keeping it wrapped around my neck, I try to not panic as my air supply is slowly cut off. My fingers fumble though, and as a last ditch effort, I yank out my knife and cut the thing.

Free falling isn't a good sensation. Especially not when staring down at a stone floor, nothing to cushion the fall. Twisting as best as I can in the split second before the impact, I brace for pain.

And it does come. I meet the ground with a sickening thud and then snap. The air is pushed from my lungs so fast it burns my throat on the way up. Then agony consumes my chest and shoulder. I can't breathe. I can't-

A strangled cry claws it's way through my clenched teeth as something, _someone_ , yanks me up from the floor. The Queen has called in her guard. Satisfaction, flickering in between the fire lancing through my body, laces through my consciousness as the guard touches my arm and hand. Iron rings and bracelets wrap all the way around me. Rowan berries remain hidden on separate appendages. They can kill me, but I won't become a pawn. I won't be enchanted.

Fingers smoother than, and as cold as, ice tug my face up by the chin. The Queen smiles at me, pressing her other hand into my chest. Lightning punches straight through my brain, vision cutting out into white light. Yet through it all, I can hear a laugh. _Her_ laugh.

"Hello, little assassin. You made it quite far, didn't you?" The Queen purrs. Her teeth flash as her grin only grows. Attempting to snarl at her, all I manage is something akin to a mewl. Humiliating. The Queen laughs again.

"Are you really all they could muster? A tiny little girl with a bow?" She asks. Her hand flits from my chest to my hair, pulled into a fraying braid. The monster rubs it a few times in something almost like a pet. I twist my head away. My neck pushes against my broken shoulder in a way which sends flames through my head.

That doesn't stop the petting though. If anything, it only encourages her to do so. Her dark skin provides a startlingly beautiful contrast against my blonde hair and pale skin. I stare at it for several moments before I realize my vision is spinning. The guard is holding me up completely. No matter how hard I try, my knees won't work.

Movement catches my attention. One of the dragons has brought it's head down near us, right next to the Queen. She reaches up and rubs one of the deep purple scales on it's nose. The thing lets out a pleased noise, it's mouth opening slightly in pleasure. The dragon's teeth are the size of my arm, and some are longer. My mouth feels dry just staring at it.

"Fyzza is a beauty, isn't she? Just a gorgeous creature," The Queen hums, her eyes still on me. I clench my jaw and turn away from her, this time away from my shattered shoulder. The guard's grip on my arm increases, and I hiss through my teeth at the pain.

"I find nothing even associated with you as beautiful," I spit out the lie as if that'll cause them to finally kill me. It doesn't. In fact the Queen laughs once again, and pats my cheek as if I was a silly child.

"Lying doesn't suit you, little assassin," She says. Then she signals for the guard to take me away. I can do nothing as they drag me out of the heated throne room.

* * *

 

I grip to the wall as tight as I can as I slowly shimmy my way down a cliff. They assumed that just because I was injured that I couldn't make my way out. I hope they curse themselves when they realize their idiocy. Not that I plan on being anywhere near here to see it. No. I intend on making my way back down into the human lands, and reporting to my guild master. This isn't an assignment I was supposed to survive. I doubt he'll punish me for failing to kill my mark.

My foot slips and I slide several feet before my nails once again catch in a crack. Climbing one handed was always dangerous. I can only hope I can make it the rest of the way down.

The wind buffets me from my spot on the rock face. The cold of it digs straight down into my bones, numbing most everything that hurts. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I guess I'll just take my blessings while I can.

* * *

 

"Name and purpose being here?"

"Auriol. I'm here to speak to my master," I respond easily, tucking the cloak I stole tighter around me. Hopefully it hides the sling, and the bandages I had to use. Injuries are harder to explain than being cold.

The guard looks me over, before waving me through the gate. I can hardly mask my relief as I cut my way through the crowd, and into a familiar back street. The usual crowd isn't there. Likely the prostitutes are resting in the early morning, before they need to take any more customers. As for the dealers.... They've probably been caught again. No one says the guard isn't good at their job. Just that the filth of this town is larger than any law they can put over us.

Biting my thumb just hard enough to draw blood, I press the appendage into a small crack in the wall. A single click resounds through the stone. Seconds after, a door slowly creeks open.

The smell of rot and decay is all that greets me.

My stomach twists as I stare into the darkness below. No lamps. No greeter at the door. No sound. Nothing. Absolutely nothing from a guild with over forty members. The knot in my gut keeps getting tighter. Silently, I make my way down the steps. The door closes behind me, plunging me into darkness. I don't light anything to find my way.

The first body is at the bottom of the stairs.

A shudder runs up my back as I stare down at Snake. He was one of the first people to trust me as a partner. One of the first people to go on a job with me. Now he's dead.

A dull roar echoes through my ears as I twist my way through the guild. Nothing is alive down here but the rats, eating at the corpses of my friends. My family.

It takes effort to keep silent. To stop from screaming and crying and tearing the tunnels apart in an attempt to find someone still here. Anything more than death and ghosts. Anything more than the squeaking of rodents and the stench of decaying flesh. Something that isn't gone. Anything still intact of my life.

The light of a candle flickers in a single doorway. A bedroom. _My_ room.

Breath hitching, I slowly push past the curtain that separated my space from everyone else's. The candle is burned down, barely a stump anymore. Right next to it sits a note.

_'Hello my little assassin. Did you really think I wouldn't make you pay for running? You're mine now. I don't let what belongs to me go. Now go with my Hound, and maybe he'll spare the life of those whores next door.'_

The elegant handwriting does little to stop the panic that overcomes me in that moment. The roaring in my ears grows to a deafening level as I bolt straight for the exit. It's too late.

Large hands snag me, yanking me back into a chest much too big for any man. A fae. The Queen's fae. Her Hound. The very being known for slaughtering villages. Killing children. Destroying everything in his path.

His skin feels clean, but I don't doubt that he's stained with the blood of thousand. Yet, he doesn't hurt me. Instead he drags me back into the candlelight, and shoves me onto the bed. His form blocks any escape, any chance at freedom. I'm trapped. Completely and utterly trapped.

"Come quietly," He whispers, pulling cuffs from his belt, "Be good, and you'll avoid more punishment. Don't, and her majesty has given me permission to level this entire city."

Magic permeates the room. I can taste it on my tongue. Can feel it settling into my still healing injures. The sensation makes them ache.

I can hardly contain my shaking as the Hound snaps the cuffs around my ankles, keeping me from running.

* * *

 

Back and forth I run my hand down the furs below me. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The sensation doesn't calm me at all.

The room is absolutely gorgeous. Everything in it is outrageously expensive, including the bed I'm currently chained to. Soft, warm, and my prison. I can't do anything to stop the hysterical giggle bubbling up through my throat.

This is all a dream. A stupid, ridiculous dream. I tried to kill the queen. I should be dead. She should have killed me. There's no possible way this is real. No way any of this exists. Maybe this is my punishment in hell. Maybe this is some sick joke. Anything other than this being real.

My breath stutters to a stop as I hear the door open. Cold air blows in from the hallway, sending shudders all the way down my spine. The curtains are closed around the bed frame. I can't see who's coming.

Dark hands tug the fabric apart.

"Hello little one," The Queen coos to me. My heart leaps into my throat, and I instantly try to jerk away from her. The chains stop me from moving more than just an inch.

With a small smile, the monster sits next to me on the bed. Her hand finds it's way to my hair. She starts petting it like I'm some startled animal. I probably seem like that to her. Just a insignificant little human she wants to use to keep herself entertained.

The hand only moves farther up, her nails scratching my scalp like a dog. She leans closer. My breath hitches in my throat as I find her right above me. Right there for me to be hurt. I stiffen in preparation for whatever she has planned. The Queen, however, tisks.

Then I feel her magic running through me.

"There you go. Just relax my dear. Let me make you feel content. Let me enjoy your cute little face," She hums, going back to the stroking. I don't relax. In fact, I only start panicking more as my muscles involuntarily relax underneath her. Where are my rowan berries? Where is all the iron I keep on every limb. How is she doing this?

"Calm. My Hound did his job. You're mine. All mine," The Monster grins, "Now just let m-"

"Stop," I gasp, "Please stop."

The stroking pauses. So does the magic. Tears instantly spring into existence from the pure relief of it. I close my eyes to try and pretend this isn't happening. To act as if she can't see my weakness. The darkness, however, just brings back memories of my guild. Of the dead eyes staring up at me, rats gnawing at their faces. Of the Hound carrying me out into the city. Of knowing home is gone forever now. The tears fall.

With a snap of fingers, the chains around my wrists release. Instantly I twist away, back down into the bed to hide my face. More magic, however, stops me from moving anymore. Freezes me perfectly into place like a puppet whose master stopped moving the strings. Ice cold fingers cup my cheek, bringing it back out from the furs. I refuse to look into the face of the one keeping me here.

"Now now my little one. It's rude to not acknowledge your new mistress. Show me those pretty green eyes or else," She hisses into my ear. A shake beneath her. The shuddering only gets worse as her other hand finds my still healing shoulder, previously strained by the chains. One good squeeze from her, and it'll shatter again.

Ever so slowly, I open my eyes.

The Queen lets out a pleased noise, and resumes the petting. "See. Was that so hard?"

What.... What is wrong with her? Why is she doing this? I don't know. I don't know.....

Humming something that I assume is supposed to be soothing, the queen gathers me into her lap. The chains still around my ankles clank as my position is shifted.

"If you're good my dear, you can live the rest of your life in luxury," The monster promises to me. I think I might be sick.

"Misbehave though.... Well. You don't need to worry about that just yet, do you?" The Queen chuckles slightly, forcing my head towards her.

She kisses me.

I can do nothing to stop it.


End file.
